Thames Valley Executive

Expert advice from other successful senior people.

• Get advice from other successful business leaders.
• Develop confidential relationships with successful people from other business sectors.
• Build your confidence in interacting with senior people with other backgrounds and capabilities.
• Get the non-exec support you would really value.

Meeting once a month at a local venue, we bring together successful senior people from the area to share their ideas, discuss issues and suggest solutions.

All participants sign a non-disclosure agreement to allow open and free discussion of challenging business issues.

Whether you are considering an acquisition, facing a difficult management issue, need to defend your business or want to embark on significant growth, other leaders share their experiences and opinions.

Here is some feedback about what being a member of an executive group like this can mean:

Chief General Counsel (global business) and group member

"Once you get to the C-Suite there is little support for senior leaders, in terms of mentoring and business coaching, except in quite rare cases. Sometimes you need a source of guidance or advice, in a safe space where you can raise an issue you are having in your current leadership role and get good, direct and sensible external perspective on the issue in hand. That feedback or observation can assist in unlocking a blockage or solving a complex issue.

This was the experience I enjoyed over the five years I was a member of Simon’s TVE group. The group’s membership evolved over time and was diverse and relevant: from small entrepreneurial business owners to CEOs of businesses and charities. It was that diversity of perspective and lack of corporate bias that was invaluable in my case, as I transitioned from functional head to senior leadership team member.  

I also had one-to-one coaching from Simon, which I found very useful in creating an action plan to achieve my objectives. It gave me the confidence to perform at a high level with my Executive Team and senior managers, and lose some of the fear and uncertainty when dealing with stressful, pressured situations at work, with my peers but also within my team."

Former CEO and group member

"Senior management can be a lonely place. There are times when it may not be possible for personal, competitive or strategic reasons to discuss issues with your team or even with peers in your company or sector. And that’s where being in a group like this is invaluable.

Simon created an environment where issues can be aired and shared with peers from other sectors. It enabled me to get feedback and suggestions without any baggage or emotion on actions that I was considering.  Dealing with an underperforming executive, considering a top level restructuring, handling difficult Board members? When dealing with such issues, members of the group were often able to suggest lines of thought that I hadn’t even considered, or were able to put things into perspective when they had become all-consuming, or to validate the course that I was planning to take.

I also had one-to-one coaching from Simon, which I found invaluable in terms of a supportive challenge to the various issues I was dealing with, and, more importantly, how I was dealing with them. From this coaching he also undertook work with my Executive Team and senior managers, feedback from which gave me valuable insight into the feel and temperature of the organisation as a whole which I wouldn’t have got myself."

We are re-launching Thames Valley Executive, and would love to talk to you about what it can do for you!